Alex Fees: I am Alex Fees on Small Business Television. We're coming to you from the SEMA '08, that's Specialty Equipment Market Association in Las Vegas. And joining me here now is one of my television colleagues, this is Chris Duke. Chris, good to meet you sir.
Chris Duke: Good to be here.
Alex Fees: Are you co-owner of this company?
Chris Duke: I am the owner.
Alex Fees: You're the owner of this company.
Chris Duke: Yes.
Alex Fees: The company is Motorz TV, that's Motors with the Z TV out of San Diego. And what do you guys do?
Chris Duke: Well, it's a series. It's dedicated to showing enthusiast, how to install products on their vehicles, both on products step-by-step.
Alex Fees: And where do you air? Where can people find this series?
Chris Duke: Pretty much everywhere.
Alex Fees: Really?
Chris Duke: We're online at iTunes. We've got a featured channel at Apple iTunes.
Alex Fees: Oh! Wow.
Chris Duke: So there is about 800 podcasts on iTunes, and we're one of the ones that are featured. So if you navigate that way, there's about 18 or so and Motorz is right there. So it's not hard to find there. We're also a featured channel on streetfire.net which is the YouTube of the automotive sector, and then 22 different video sharing sites including MySpace, YouTube, Viddler, Veoh, Vimeo, all those. So it's pretty much everywhere.
Alex Fees: Well, Chris, what's your background? How did you this come to be?
Chris Duke: Well, I started in the automotive industry strong about eight years ago writing articles. I started website. I got the attention of a magazine publisher. I became an editor of the magazine for about two years. I did a lot of editorial, lot of writing featured stories as well as just step-by-step articles. So basically, I got to the point where it kind of got old hat and the first relation I had with those types of articles is you've this little tiny photo with the paragraph describing what you're supposed to do in next step. You really can't see much in that little tiny photo.
And I have that problem actually with manufacturer installation instructions, you try to install a product, then this little tiny photo, you can't see what's going on, and kind of not figure it out. So the idea, we had been doing the video for one of our sites that's called truckblog.com. We've been coming here to the SEMA Show for about 4-5 years under that name, and doing videos, just all of the SEMA Show, what's going on and so forth.
Alex Fees: Right.
Chris Duke: So we have some video background -- video production background. So I thought earlier this year of just we had a product to install for editorial, I figured out hey, why not do a video at the same time, see how it comes out and so we did one, and it was very well received. We got a lot of positive feedback from everybody, and so we did another one, then another one, and now we've got 13, actually 14 film, 13 that are online right now. Next one is going to be the Katzkin video --
Alex Fees: So the content of these, is it all installation, kind of 'how to' type of stuff?
Chris Duke: Yes, yes, step-by-step. The format is basically, it starts out with the intro, then I show the product, all the parts, describe the parts, how it benefits the enthusiast. Why they would want to install this on their vehicle. Then I go through all the tools that are required.
Alex Fees: It's all Aftermarket type, sole aftermarket, customizing.
Chris Duke: Yeah, exactly, and so built on applications that you can go online and buy or at your local retailer. And so at that point I go through the step-by-step install, and it's not so boring where it's showing a real time, each crank or wrench or whatever it's just, maybe you want and then we move on to the next step. And in those situations like I mentioned before whether it's a really tight -- inside the engine compartment or something like that, we start from a wide angle, and then want to be zoom in and so whoever is watching has some kind of grasp as to where they are supposed to go when they install the product.
Alex Fees: So you kind of guide them, guide them through zoom.
Chris Duke: Yeah, exactly. Use the camera, because you can't do that in print or online really.
Alex Fees: Absolutely.
Chris Duke: So with the photo like that. And then at the end after it's all installed, show, it comes with before and after. You know with the Katzkin leather interior video that we just did, obviously that's pretty easy show to before and after. And with Hellwig Sway Bars, that was kind of a fun challenging thing. We drove over the vehicle through a slalom course before and we installed the sway bars and then we did the same slalom again and I put the two videos up on screen with a horizontal line that showed the difference in travel, and on the cam on the outside, rear fender pointed towards the wheel well, so you can see the amount of travel there as well, and they love that.
That's something that they haven't done before. And so they are running that video of that episode we did for them at their booth. We actually have four manufacturers this year at SEMA that are running the video, that we produced for them, that episode.
Alex Fees: So it's something -- you are in a show like it before and after type things.
Chris Duke: Yeah.
Alex Fees: Before and after the installation --
Chris Duke: Right, right.
Alex Fees: They are interesting. So are you host, executive producer, owner, all of the above?
Chris Duke: Yeah, editor everything.
Alex Fees: Really?
Chris Duke: Yeah, as things progress a little bit further along here, I hope to not have all those responsibilities and just focus on doing the show and setting things up, getting all the products and tools that we need for the installation.
Alex Fees: So is there more than one segment per show, Chris, or is that a half hour installation process, what?
Chris Duke: The length of the video varies from anywhere from 5-6 minutes to our longest is 25 minutes, and it's dedicated to that installation. Early on, I thought of doing in a kind of a new product section or something like that, talking about a new product or plugging something, but it just didn't work out that way. It actually -- the format of it is really good the way it is right now, just showing installation.
Alex Fees: Well, it sounds you got a lot of luck with the internet and that is nothing new for you. I mean you're early adapter sounds like.
Chris Duke: Yeah, exactly. Early on when nobody knew about a web browser, I was using one and don't know how much I want to get into this, but I mean I developed one of the first online web forums available for a Windows web server. That is before Microsoft had their web server, I met a guy online --
Alex Fees: Pioneer.
Chris Duke: Yeah, they had developed a web server and since I had previous bulletin board system background, I worked with him to develop something and that kind of started my online obsession and creating communities online as opposed to dialog and so, that kind of led me into using that knowledge of online communities to develop things for. Initially, it was F150 Ford trucks, going to became all other -- all Ford vehicles, Ford trucks, Dodge trucks, and now it's pretty much everything. We've truckblog.com, musclecarblog.com, and a bunch of other sites catered to this industry.
Alex Fees: You're naming things that are there new for a lot of people. This is all half for you. We're talking like 14-15 years, since you first started getting involved in this capacity.
Chris Duke: It's been a long time.
Alex Fees: Well, Chris what about SEMA 2008, what are you doing here specifically this year?
Chris Duke: Well, as the show is new, we just started back in May, and we've got 13 episodes under our belt. Basically trying to get the word out to manufacturers, so that's why I appreciate being on SBTV.com, because hopefully all the other manufacturers are watching this and will go over to our website, take a look at videos and see if it's something that they are interested in, because it's a new way to market their product. They can advertise in print magazines, they can have advertise online, they can get editorial, they can sponsor vehicles and things like that. This is something new. There is a lot of benefits to doing these types of videos. It's a different distribution and online video is huge right now. There is nobody denying that so --
Alex Fees: Absolutely. Well, where can people go to get more information? At your website?
Chris Duke: Yeah, www.motorz.tv.
Alex Fees: Motorz.tv.
Chris Duke: Yes.
Alex Fees: Alright! Chris Duke, he is the owner of Motorz TV. I am Alex Fees on Small Business Television. We're coming to you from the SEMA 2008. You're logged on to SBTV.com.
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